Radiator enclosure



Oct. 9, 1945. M. W'ATNICK' RADIATOR ENCLOSURE Filed Jan. 8,V 1944 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 9, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT* OFFICE' RADIATOR ENCLOSURE MorrisyWatnick, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application January 8, 1944, Serial No. 517,613

2 Claims.

This-invention relates to devices such as radiator enclosures.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved radiator enclosure that is adapted'to be readily assembled and disassembled to facilitate handling and shipment thereof.

` 4It is well known that radiator enclosures are large bulky objects, which are expensive to transport and costly to keep in stock. While attempts have been rnade to provide a knockdown radiator enclosure, having improved means including metallic and insulator sections affording an advantagneous relationship and lending themselves to easy assembling at the point of installation,

so that shipment inthe knockdown form is not' only desirable but in fact necessary to obviate possibility of damage to the insulator section.

Another object of the invention is to provide Va radiator enclosure having an improved insulator wall which is foldable into compact condition. Another object of the invention is to furnish a portable radiator enclosure comprising an upper metallic section and a lower insulator section creating an improved heat exchange relation for a radiator to promote the circulation of air past the latter.

Y Another object of the invention is to furnish a radiator enclosure having a non-metallic Wall portion adapted to contain special inexpensive vornamentation in a low temperature region,

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the tion of the enclosure in separate condition folded for storage or shipment. 1 Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the insulator wall portion.

` The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all ofits features and instrumentalities are combined in onev and the same structure, but, 'useful devicesmay be produced embodying less than the Whole.

y It willbe obvious Vto those skilled in theart to which the invention appert-ains, that the same may be incorporated in several ,different 'constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplication of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, IU denotes a radiator enclosure embodying the invention. The same may include a bottom wall portion or section II and an upper wall portion or section I2. The latter may be made of sheet metal and is constructed as a rectangle, open at the top and bottom. The front wall I3 of the section I2, and the endr walls I4 thereof may be provided with decorative openings' I5 Ifor air circulation, but these openings may be vomitted on the rear wall I. The section I2 may also include a cover Il of a conventional type, having a continuous front andend ange I8 and a rear ange I9 which is undercut to afford clearance for the opening movement of the cover about thehinges 20 which are riveted to the flange I9 and tothe rear wall IE. Projections or stops 2| on thefront lwall I3 support the cover Il, cooperate with the hinges to hold the cover horizontal when in closed position and to maintain the cover spaced above the rectangular wall of the section I3 to afford an opening for the circulation of air. VFor the same reason, the area defined by the anges I8, I9 is larger than that of the rectangular Wall so that air heated by the radiator can find ready .egress around the edge of the cover, as well as through the ornamental openings I5.

The lower section II is made of an insulator material 22 shown in Fig. 6 which may comprise a sheet of decorative paper 23 which may have suitable designs imprinted or painted thereon. This extremely thin paper may have a backing of a tougher paper 24, the latter having a coating of asbestos or other insulator material 25, a filler4 of felt or other fibrous, textile or binding material 26 and a backing of asbestos or insulating material 21. All of these layers are suitably fabrcatedtogether like one integral strong and tough wall; they may be bound together with the aid of suitable adhesives, and may be stitched or otherwise additionally secured together if necessary. Regardless of the specic details of construction, the material 22 is intendedgto indicate a strong and relatively stiff board 'of low heat conductivity carrying colored designs which would be alected by heat, but by reason of the insulator qualities of the board, are adapted for long life, although cheaply applied. Thus the Y need for enameling or baking colors as on metal is avoided. The insulating character of the section II has other advantages in a radiator enclosure as will be presently described.

The wall II consisting of a material such as 22 provides a front wall 28 and end walls 29 for the radiator enclosure, with bottom projections or feet 30, 3l disposed at suitable points therealong. This section 28 need not extend along the back of the radiator enclosure which may be Wholly open below the topsection I2. Centrally formed in the front wall 28 are one or more vertical crease, or weakened or fold lines as at 32, shown in dot-dash lines, adapted to produce a fold 33 in the section II when the latter is folded in its detached position as in Fig. 5. When thus folded, the front wall 28 is divided into like wall portions 34. Fold lines as at 32 are also provided to produce folds 35 defining the end walls 29, adapted to lie against the adjacent wall portions 34. Accordingly, the section II may be folded into collapsed condition 36 in which it forms four thicknesses of material, resulting in a relatively flat structure which occupies very little space for shipment or storage.

When received at the point ofinstallation, the section 36 is unfolded and secured to the section I2 to provide therewith the section II, whereby the completed radiator enclosure is produced.V

For securement, any suitable means may be used, such as bolts 31, and suitable holes may be provided in the section Il, preformed at the factory kor formed at the point of installation, to receive the bolts. The section II lies within the section I2, linwardly spaced therefrom as by spacer rings.

or Washers 38 disposed about the bolts between the sections II and I2. Thus there is an opening of substantial area between the sections II and I2 for circulation of air, this opening extending substantially all along the top edge of section II and interrupted only by the bolts and the spacers. little heat is transmitted by conduction from the hot metallic section l2 to the insulator section II. The opening referred is Vparticularly clearly shown in Fig. 3.

When assembled as in Figs. l and 2, the insulator section is maintained rigid by the section I2, the wall 28 being held in one plane, and lthe end Walls 29 being maintained at right angles to the front wall, by reason of the positive interconnection between the sections II and I2. The

latter section is supported by the section I I, which rests on its feet 30, 3|. All parts of the radiator enclosure may lie spaced from the radiator itself. The folds as at 33 and 35 will be quite unnoticeable, and the highly decorative appearance of the section II will add style and character .to the radiator enclosure because effects can be obtained with decorative paper which cannot be secured with metal. Also the decorative paper eirect may blend in with that which is used to cover the walls of the room, and in fact the same paper ma be used.

I is considered that the radiator enclosure IU affords a superior heat exchange eiciency for the radiator, other things being equal. The transmission of heat .from a radiator to a room is principally by convection. The insulation section Il of the radiator enclosure avoids heat loss by radiation, and retains the heat so that the air is more rapidly heated than otherwise. This By reason of these spacers, relatively a fibrous,

accelerates the rate of circulation of the air and hence-produces a more rapid transfer of heat to the atmosphere. In a thermal sense, it lengthens the path of heating through the radiator enclosure. The increase in velocity of the air aids in overcoming the resistance to air flow due to the radiator enclosure. It is Well known that such enclosures reduce the transmission of heat from a radiator to a substantial degree, Which may be as much as twenty-five percent or even higher, whereas with my enclosure that reduction need not exceed about ten percent, this result being directly traced to the use of the insulator section II. As the air becomes heated, so that the temperature difference between the air and the radiator diminishes, the air enters the top section I2, where sufficient heat is available for the metallic wall of the enclosure, and here the air receives its nal temperature increase from the section I2 as well as from the radiator. Thistop metallic section I2 is better adapted to sustain the heat than the composition section II, which might warp or buckle if the temperature therein becomes excessive, and cause deterioration of the ornamental paper layer 23. By spacing the sections II and I2 away from each other, a higher degree of uniformity of temperature is obtained in the section II than would otherwise be possible, and hence any tendency to buckling is prevented. Thus the section II is Well adapted to carry the load of the top section I2. Further, there results the passage 40 through which a secondary flow of air occurs into the radiator enclosure to supplement that which enters through the bottom. The area of the passage 40, which occurs substantially all along the top of the section II, may be considerably greater than the area of decorative openings, which as a rule are small, and often accumulate considerable dust. In the case of the passage 40, the same is so covered, as by the cover II, that it normally remains quite clean and free of dust that might retard air flow. The air entering the passage 40 cools oi that portion of the lower section Il which is nearest to the metallic section of the radiator enclosure.

It will thus be seen that the invention combines the advantages of an easily transportable knockdown radiator enclosure, with features of superior decorative qualities which are Veasily changed to suit, and with better heat transmission.

I claim:

1. A radiator enclosure including a top section and a, bottom section, the `top section being a generally rectangular metallic structure, the bottom section consisting substantially entirely of board-like insulator wall having throughout the same an outer covering of decorative paper continuously secured thereto, the insulator wall having vertical wall portions including a sidewall portion and end wall portions and being otherwise open at the top and bottom and at its remaining side, the wall portions being interconnected by hinge portions integral with at least part of the insulator wall, the latter having an upper edge portion protectively disposed within a lower edge portion of the top section and in spaced relation to the latter, and spacing means detachably interconnecting said upper and lower edge portions at spaced points so that the lower section supports the upper section and whereby the flow of heat from the top section to the bottom section is arrested to avoid damage to the decorative paper cover, in coopervation with the insulator material of the bottom section.

2. A radiator enclosure having a generally rectangular bottom section having two vertical fold' lines defining a long side wall and relatively narrow end Walls, a third intermediate fold line whereby the long side wall can be folded centrally for compactness in storage, with the end walls folded on their fold lines, said section consisting of a relatively stiii board of insulator material and a covering of decorative paper material secured to the board throughout said sec- 

